What are the chances?
by Coolness121
Summary: What are the chances that she decided to visit on that day? What are the chances that she would end up saving his life? What are the chances that he would change her view of the world? What are the chances that this encounter would have such an impact? She was never one to chance things since her luck was horrid, but maybe, just maybe, he can make her take one more chance. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Ch.1

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I don't own anything Naruto related in this fic, it is all owned by the creator of Naruto himself.

"What do you mean you won't stay!?"- Speech

" _He reminds me so much of them."- Thoughts_

* * *

"Get the demon!"

"Kill it!"

"Let's make the demon pay for all the things it's done!"

The sounds of the particularly rabid pack of people echoed through Naruto's ears and caused a surge of fear to run through him as he ran as fast as his pre-mature legs were able. He didn't dare look back to see if he was making any head way in his attempt to escape the mad crowds clutches and slow down. No, he would just have to hope that he was at least a considerable distance away. The periodic threats of harm to his person, though, did little for that hope.

For as long as he could remember, which wasn't that long in the first place considering he was only eight years old, he was always looked at badly. Wherever he went, whether it be to the park or to the store, everybody looked at him the same way. Oh, they tried to hide it, but he was able to catch them out of the corners of his eyes some days. They were all the same narrowed eyes filled with dislike, and somehow showed that they barely tolerated the fact that he breathed the same air as them. He didn't do anything! Well, apart from the odd prank he and there, but those were just jokes that he formed to be acknowledged and to have a bit of fun. If those are what caused these people to be such dicks, a word he learned one day from a pretty purple haired lady who wore a silly looking trench coat, he fears what would their faces would be when he actually did something bad.

He tried to ask his jiji, since he was the freaking Hokage, why the people looked at him in such a way, but all he got was the usual, "They don't understand you Naruto," or, "Just give it time Naruto." Well he gave it time. Time and time and time again. He was tired of just always being looked at so differently. He wanted to hate them. Oh, he wanted to so badly, but he knew that hate would get him absolutely nowhere. He's seen what it does to these people, and how it pushes them to drink, be absolutely unhappy, and indulge in petty things like chasing after an eight year old kid, who did nothing wrong ,except for maybe turning their clothes the color orange, for hours at a time! If that was what hate did to someone, Naruto didn't want to hate.

As he ran for dear life, because with the dark turn those threats were taking he doubted they were just chasing him to give him a stern talking to, with his under developed lungs threatening to burst out of his chest, the thought of why the Hokage hadn't intervened yet crossed his mind. Usually during chases like these, and with a mob that big, they had torches for crying out loud, jiji would notice and send those nice animal guys to help. Tonight was October 10th, his day of birth. A day that, if it was anyone else's, would be filled with smiles, laughter, family, fun, friends, ice cream, cake, presents, and just plain happiness. But no. This was October 10th the day that marked the anniversary of the terrible night the nine tailed whatchamacallit attacked and killed a lot of people, and on this day was always a really horrid day for Naruto. It was always on this day that the people got particularly antsy, rage filled, and a little drunk to where they formed a mob to chase him out of his dingy rickety apartment complex and chase his across Konoha until he lost them.

Today was a little different though as the mob seemed to be just a bit bigger, the people seemed to be particularly fast today, and it was going on longer than usual. Where was jiji and his animal men when you need 'em? He was quickly running out of fuel, room to run, and the mob was somehow gaining on him. Naruto didn't know how they were since, even if he was only eight years old, he was still faster than civilians, especially drunken ones. Suddenly a stray kunai flew past his face and clipped his ear. Naruto yelped a little in a combination of pain and surprise. Civilians don't carry kunai, and they most definitely cannot throw them with such a high level of accuracy. Naruto risked a glance over his shoulder, and could see several men in the mob pull out kunai from a holster on their thighs. Well that would explain as to where the kunai came from. Naruto knew that more would be coming after the solo one, and decided that running in a straight line would not be good for his health. He made the right decision because just as he took his first step to the right, and kunai landed in the spot where he once was. He daren't look back now as it just got a whole lot more dangerous.

The kunai kept coming, and Naruto did his absolute best to dodge them. Alas he couldn't dodge them all and was left with rips through his white shirt and navy blue shorts. He had cuts along his shoulders, ears, cheeks, legs, and arms from the kunai that got too close. With his heart banging against his chest, and his lungs steadily running out of oxygen Naruto started to slow down. He physically couldn't run anymore. His chest was heaving up and down from the unlawful exertion that was currently being put upon the two prepubescent lungs they contained. But he couldn't stop no matter what. The mob would be upon him like a pack of rabid dogs, and he daren't imagine what they would do to him.

"Ahhh," he yelped as a kunai left a bloody streak across his scalp. Naruto quickly covered his head with his hands to at least somewhat protect it from a fatal shot. He heard the quickly getting familiar sound of a streaking kunai, and ducked his head just in time for it to miss. With his head down though he didn't catch or hear the one coming in low towards his calf. As a result the kunai sank into his calf muscle, and nearly made him collapse. He stumbled as his ankle now had blood running down it. There went the plan of hiding because now he was just leaving a trail if red blood. Now with a kunai stuck in his calf, and with no time to take it out, Naruto's physical abilities were almost cut in half. Now he couldn't possibly out run the mob. Every time he took a haggard step to try and continue to run away, red hot pain shot up through his leg. He might be familiar to getting a little roughed up here and there, but a kunai in someone hurts.

With his running ability now deteriorated to little more than a fast hobble, he couldn't possibly dodge the next set of kunai that came flying his way. This time he fully fell and hit the dusty unforgiving ground. He felt the three kunai hit him with two being in his left and right arm, disabling them, and one being in the back of his right thigh. When he fell he heard a triumphant yell come from the mob that was gaining on him with a vengeance.

"Aha! We got him now!"

"Yeah, I hope that hurt you little monster!"

"Now it's time to make the demon bastard pay!"

That last one seemed to incense the crowd to even greater heights as they sped up towards his crippled body even faster. With wide eyes filled to the brim with fear Naruto glanced back at the mob before beginning to crawl.

" _Come on, come on!"_ Naruto repeated to himself in his head.

He was about to do everything in his power to try to escape. He hoped and prayed that his jiji would come to save him, as he usually did, but that train of hope died after that third kunai. With a will that no eight year old should have, Naruto began to drag himself by his chin through the across the dirty ground. He tasted the dust, the dirt, the grass as he gritted his teeth in pain and determination. His brow was furrowed in a scowl of stone as he methodically lifted his chin, dropped it just a little bit further, and heaved himself forward inch by desperate inch.

It was to no avail.

When the first villager got to him, the man had a lead pipe in his hands. The pipe connected with the back of Naruto's head with brain jarring force, and made his face slam into the hard ground, breaking his nose. The strike stopped Naruto cold, as blood from the new wound bleed slowly down his face, and mixed with his dirty, spiky, blonde hair. A second blow walloped right after the first with the same amount of force, and Naruto almost blacked out. A kick then connected with this ribs, and Naruto reflexively grabbed at his stomach. Now he was on his side and curled up into a dirty ball, as blows rained down upon him mercilessly and unending. There were pipes, thick pieces of wood, hammers, belts, fists, feet, they all were used at that moment to inflict pain upon his body.

By now he was limp, and blood and big purple bruises covered him from head to toe. Black dots marred his vision, and Naruto wished that he was unconscious now. The pain was too much, and everything hurt so badly. There were no tears anymore as he cried enough already to last regular people two lifetimes. There were no more tears anymore. His nose was broken, lips were busted and bleeding, arms were twisted at an odd angle that didn't seem right, ankle was twisted, skull was bleeding, and his ribs seemed to be only dust from how many blows they took.

Despite all of that there was still the slight beating of a heart within that bruised body. His lungs still breathed raggedly in an attempt to get air, and expel the blood that had accumulated inside. His heart still held in to the notion that his jijij would save him, and he would wake up in a white hospital bed with an I.V. drip hooked into his arm. He would have bandages wrapped around him like he was a mummy, and his jijij would be there sitting beside him wearing that awesome hat. Those dreams were shredded to pieces as a foot stomped down on his skull with a savage intent.

"Ahhh!" Naruto yelled out in pain as the sandaled foot pressed down on his skull.

He couldn't move it if he wanted to, because his arms were broken. The foot just kept pressing down and down as his skull began to give way.

"How does that feel you monster. I hope it hurts you so very much. We all want you to pay for what you've done! We want you to feel every last bit of pain you caused!" The rage filled drunken villager yelled down.

A roar of agreement rushed through the mob, and the foot pressed down even harder. As it did Naruto's screams of agony grew ever louder. He screamed and screamed in absolute pain as his skull began to cave in.

"How does that feel, demon?!" The man yelled over Naruto's screams of pain," I'm gonna squish your skull and stomp all on your hea-Gurk!"

Suddenly the foot that was bearing down on his skull was gone. He couldn't see a thing as dirt, and blood filled his eyes, but he could still hear. The mobs screams of pain began, and as quick as they came they were gone and silence filled his ears. The clacking of shoes reached his ears, but Naruto couldn't move a thing to see just who it was that saved him. He felt a hand run its way across his body before it pulled back.

"Oh, shit," a light voice of a women whispered before Naruto suddenly felt a warm sensation flow through his body," Shizune summon a slug. This boy is in critical condition, and we need to stabilize him before we try to get him to the hospital."

"Yes ma'am," another feminine voice answered to the first one before Naruto heard a popping noise. The warmth intensified and Naruto began to feel a little sleepy, and everything began to darken.

"Come on stay with me here. Come on kid focus on my voice and my voice only. I want you stay awake now. You're not gonna die here," the women told him.

Naruto didn't know if she was reassuring herself with that last part or him, and tried to do what she said. It was so hard, and everything was getting darker. He couldn't feel his toes, or fingers, and he could barely think straight.

"Come on kid what did I say?" the women rang out.

Ah, there was the voice of that lady again. Her voice sounded pretty and nice. He wished he could see her, but the blood that was blinding him stopped him from doing so. She was probably a nice angel there to help him out. Well he wouldn't want to make this angel work so hard for nothing now would he? He felt the darkness enclose around him, and began to push it back for all its worth. He willed himself to stay lucid, as the nice voiced angel tried to fix him. He wanted to speak with her, and ask her what her name was, but it came out a little chopped as his throat was raw from his screaming.

"..at….n..me," came from Naruto's mouth filled with chipped teeth. He felt those break after a particularly hard kick to the face and mouth. He tried again this time, and forced the words out a little clearer.

"Wh…at n..a..me?" were the words that left Naruto's mouth. It was chopped, and he didn't really know if she actually heard it.

Suddenly the warmth was lessened, and he felt a slimly sensation on his shoulder. He felt a pair of arms slip themselves under his body, and then he was being cradled against two very big and soft pillows. It was so warm right there, and he couldn't help but feel sleepy.

"Shizune, he's stable, but I need to hurry him to the ICU. I want you to get the old geezer and bring him there. I want to have some words with him," the women said before Naruto began to feel weightless in her arms. He went up and down, so he figured this must've been that roof hopping thing he saw those cool ninja do.

"Don't worry kid, you're in good hands. You can sleep now," the women said.

Ah, sleep sounded nice right now. He was tired, and he was comfortable curled up against these pillows. Ah, but he couldn't forget to thank the nice angel for saving his life.

"Th..nk you a..gel-l..dy," He tried to make out to her. He didn't know why an angel would come to save him, but he was grateful nonetheless. Hopefully she was still there when he woke up. He wanted jiji to meet the nice angel. So sleepy.

"I…ed a ...oom…!" was the last bit of noise he heard before he faded into unconsciousness.

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Yo, Coolness121 with a new story here. This idea came to me actually as I was writing out a new crossover idea I had planned. Originally this was gonna be that crossover, but this idea overcame the crossover. So, the new crossover will be put on hold for a bit as I focus on this one and G.W.O.T.N. If you don't already know who "she" is I'm not gonna tell you either. No, they won't be pairing, and no I'm not saying what it is. I'm gonna keep that little part a secret. I was debating of naming it Senju Legacy, but I didn't have any plans for Naruto to learn anything Senju related like wood release or be blood related. Plus I think that title was taken already I'm not sure. This Naruto is gonna be a little different than the usual Naruto, and you'll see once this story progresses.

Next chapter will answer as to why no one saved Naruto in time, as it was the Kyuubi festival, and Sarutobi usually keeps an eye on him. So, yea that's it for me, and I hope that you all love this new idea from me. If you don't I got G.W.O.T.N. you can check out. If you don't like the both of them, which I highly doubt, then I got a new crossover coming soon so stay tuned for that. SO, don't forget to read, review, favorite, and follow this new idea, as I would like to see the reception it's gonna get. This is Coolness121 signing off.

P.S. Did I mention that I have another fic, G.W.O.T.N. that you should most definitely check out? Well if I didn't go check it out, yo. Now I'm signing off for real.

P.P.S. if you have any jutsu names from the anime I would very much appreciate it if you could either put them in a review or P.M. me them. I will be doing some research on my own about them, but I might miss some.


	2. Chapter 2:The Day After

"Time for your tort-I mean training."-Speech

" _I feel like this is gonna hurt,"-Thoughts_

 _I don't own anything I include in this story. It all belongs to the creator of Naruto._

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Naruto blearily came to and immediately groaned at his futile attempt to move a muscle. He currently felt as stiff as a board, and the uncomfortable bed wasn't doing him any favors either. As he came to the familiarity he had with his current surroundings came with it. He had gotten so familiar with this room, and the color white he didn't even need to be told of where he was. He knew he was in the hospital, and almost immediately the memories of what got him there came with it. Images flashed in his mind, and the emotion toll began to come into effect.

The images just wouldn't stop, and the phantom pains came back with a vengeance. He clenched his eyes shut, and tried to force the images, the pain, out of his head, but it wouldn't leave. He felt his breaths became shorter and sharper, his heart began to thump at a rapid pace, and his eyes flickered to and fro across the room like they were watching a tennis match. Slowly everything began to dissipate, and there was just muddled silence.

He faintly heard the slamming open of his door, and the rapid pattering of feet, as someone made him lie down on his back. He couldn't respond to whoever was doing this, as he was too caught up in his memories and imagination. His brain was throbbing, as so many people began to do stuff around him and the bed. He couldn't take it! It was all too much for his mind. The loud rapid beeps coming from his heart monitor just added to the background noise.

He needed to get out of here. They wouldn't catch him again, no, not this time.

He began to thrash around, and immediately he felt arms and hands rush to hold him down. He thrashed even harder, trying and failing to flail his limbs in attempt to strike the ones who wanted to harm him. He shut his eyes in pain and thrashed even harder, and for his age he had an abnormal amount of strength and was beginning to make headway in his attempt to escape. His hope was quickly dashed, as even more hands gripped his body in attempt to hold him down.

"NO! AHHHH!" He yelled.

They were gonna get him again. No not again, he refused to be helpless again! He banged his head against the pillow, and yelled again, but it came out as more of a roar this time. His vision began to bleed red, and his body felt like it was on fire. Strength slowly began to fill his weary bones, and the strength to break free was within his grasp. He literally roared this time in defiance, and his heart beat monitor began to beat even more erratically at the sudden jump in adrenaline.

He was dimly aware of the slamming open of the door once again, and some muffled yelling. No! There were more of them?! He still couldn't get away from the current ones, and more would spell disaster. Just as he was ready to thrash with a renewed vigor that familiar warmth began to engulf his entire being, and suddenly that fiery power was gone. His vision began to clear up, and he was left breathing heavily. As the adrenaline left him, his mind began to clear up and all that was left was a weary young boy.

Why did he suddenly feel so sleepy?

Slowly, but surely, he began to feel himself nodding off with the help of that dastardly warmth. Didn't it know he was in danger? He needed to get away. Right before his eyes shut themselves he caught a glimpse of something. It was yellowish, and reminded him of his own hair. He weakly gasped. He remembered that hair from that night. He fell right asleep knowing that the angel was there, and she was sure to protect him.

Tsunade sighed in relief as the boy finally went to sleep. Under the combined might of anesthesia, a sedative, some healing chakra, and her grandfather's necklace, the boy finally succumbed and went to sleep. She quickly turned a down right furious gaze onto the staff that currently occupied the room, and they all immediately seized up.

Heh, she still had it.

Pride aside, she had some questions for this incompetent group of people.

"Whose brilliant idea was it to have you all rush in hear, and damn near cause this boy to have a heart attack?!" She yelled. Her voice rapidly got higher, as she unleashed her ire upon these poor souls. No one was safe when she was angry. You wouldn't like her when she was angry. Her teammate could preach about that.

She could hear literal crickets, as no one mustered up the courage to answer her question. He anger rose another level at the lack of an answer.

"HUH? Is anyone here gonna tell me, or am I gonna have to volunteer one of you like a group of children?" She asked to the frozen solid group.

Still, no one answered and Tsunade sighed and rubbed her brow. Just great. She not only had a bunch of incompetent fools to work with, but they couldn't even deal with a bit of yelling.

The fact that she was THE strongest women, no, person, in the world physically, and was known to lash out when she was angry completely slipped her mind.

She pointed to the man who was currently cowering behind one of the nurse," You, answer my question." She firmly commanded with her eyes narrowed dangerously at him. She saw the man begin to sweat bullets, as the group he thought he was safe in literally took a good few steps away from him. That left him by himself to face the ire of The Slug Princess, and it took all he had no to faint on the spot. Mostly because he knew she could just resuscitate him immediately.

Tsunade felt like she could literally see the smoke come out of the man's brain, as he tried to answer her.

"W-we-we heard th-the boys heart rate sp-spike to dangerous levels, an-and we panicked in our attempt to save him," he said with a tone laced with fear and worry.

Tsunade let the man sweat a bit before she responded to his answer.

"So, you're trying to tell me that a group of highly trained professionals, who by the way were told that sudden movements like that could warrant a reaction like that, panicked?" She questioned in a harsh tone.

The man shakily nodded, as he gulped down his heart that had planted itself in his throat.

You're telling me that a group of professionals, who were trained to deal with trauma victims, such as him, literally rushed him, held him down, and thought that was gonna calm him down?" Tsunade's tone was so condescending that one could literally hear the pride of the group crumble into dust as they realized their mistake.

"We should've just let him have a heart attack."

Ah, shit.

Tsunade's sharp ears picked up the whisper, and she immediately zeroed in on the dead man, or woman in this case.

"What did you just say," Tsuande whispered dangerously.

The nurse seized up and froze, as she thought her whisper went unheard, but she should've known better. Tsunade was a trained ninja, and her ears were only second to the Inuzuka clansmen. The women might have as well been yelling it aloud.

"I asked you a question miss...Yori. What was that you just said? I don't think I heard you quite clearly," Tsunade repeated.

Tsunade was now leaking out a very light amount of killing intent, no real ninja would've been bothered by the levels she was currently outputting, but to the nurse it was like death was staring her down. Tsunade saw a sense of fury light up in the nurse's eyes, and knew that whatever she was gonna say next wasn't about to be good.

"I don't see why we have to care for that, that," Tsunade's eyes couldn't narrow any further," thing. Hokage-sama should've had it killed when it was born! That thing doesn't deserve any treatment! Tsunade-sama, you should've just left it out there in the alley you found it in, and let it die alone! Kami knows it wouldn't be missed!"

After all was said and done the nurse was read in the face from yelling, and was panting at the exertion she had just put on her lungs. Tsunade, though, was severely unimpressed by the woman's display of fury.

"Get out," she ordered.

This shocked the nurse out of her stupor, and she was left looking confused and shocked. Tsunade at the moment couldn't give a damn, and she let it be known. Her killing intent raised an octave and the people in the room almost buckled to their knees at the pressure. That being said, they left wide eyed and scared stiff.

"I said get out! I will not have an incompetent, pig-headed, staff member while I am here. And trust me when I say that you are lucky that you had enough sense in the brick of a mind head of your to not break the Hokage's law, because if you did I wouldn't of even blinked as I tore your head from your shoulders. Trust me, I'm the best surgeon in the business, and I could have your head on my wall before you even realized it was gone," She declared.

Tsunade's words held no lie to them, and her cold fury sent a chill down everyone's' spines. Her eyes cut through anyone and everyone in the room, as she asserted her dominance.

"And that goes for anyone else who might have a problem with HIM," she gave a pointed look at the now pale as a sheet nurse," If you have a problem with him then you have a problem with me, and I really think it would be in your best interest to not have a problem with me."

That last part was said as dangerous as it could be without it being an actual kunai. She really did wonder as to why Hiruzen allow such ignorance in his village. Damnit if she was Hokage…

" _No, don't go down that road Tsunade. All there is down there is a road paved with the dead and gone," she recited to herself._

She knew she would have to have a word with the Hokage, but she didn't trust this staff now that she knew the ignorance spilled over to even the professionals who were trained and told not to let their feelings cloud their judgment. They were meant to get the job done, and that was that. She would have Shizune come in and watch over him while he slept just in case a particularly rabid nut case tried something, or he had another episode. She would have her bring Ton-Ton too. A cute animal would be sure to help him calm down.

Without another word she began to make her way out of the door. The group of nurse and doctors split like the red sea, and she paused at the door before looking at the nurse she berated. She surveyed her with a look of disgust before she spotted the head band she wore on her forehead. Tsunade herself knew just what it meant to wear that symbol, and, despite the fact that she hasn't worn one herself in a good amount of years, knew that this women disgraced the village her family created from the ground up with their blood, sweat, and tears.

She snatched the forehead protector off of the women's forehead, and, with her immense strength, crumbled the metal plate into a wad of twisted debris. She threw the utterly distorted headband at the woman's feet.

"Pfft, you don't deserve to wear that headband." She scoffed and walked out the door without a second glance at the group she left in her dust.

Once she was out of the hospital, and away the temptation to wring a neck or two, she quickly did the hand signs that had become how she got her first namesake. Unlike those rookies who had to say the name of their jutsu, she, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had mastered the jutsu to where they could now do it as second nature.

With a poof of smoke, a medium sized slug appeared before her. From her years of experience with her slugs she knew that they didn't talk much. But they did understand her completely and were dependable workers.

"I want you to get Shizune, and tell her to watch over the kid we found." She told the slug.

The slug just nodded its head, and disappeared in a small plume of white smoke. With that done Tsunade hardened her brow and made her way to the Hokage's tower. She had some words for Hiruzen that she wasn't able to say last night when he and his ANBU confronted her and Shizune on their way out of the hospital.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _*Sigh*_

 _Tsunade sighed aloud as she mentally went over the injuries she had found on the boy. The amount of blood he lost was absurd, most of his bones were cracked or broken, and she was half surprised by the fact that he wasn't dead yet. Kyuubi or not, that amount of injuries would kill anyone hands down. What she was most surprised by was the fact that he was able to stay conscious through it all. Most grown men would've already passed out or died. With the amount of blood he had lost Tsunade was almost sure he didn't have any more left in him! But sure enough, right before her eyes, new red blood cells made themselves known and his blood supply slowly but surely made it back to healthy levels._

 _Oddly enough, as she worked on the kid, Shizune had made a dry joke about how she was surprised she didn't freeze up at that much blood. Tsunade herself was surprised at that fact also, and paused at how her homophobia hadn't acted up. Maybe this was just a onetime thing, but she wasn't too sure. She felt as if a weight had lifted off her shoulder as she saved this kids life._

 _She decided to completely ignore the fact that had eerily reminded her of Nawaki. Yup, that fact is going straight out the window._

" _Ah crap," Tsunade said aloud as she stopped. Her sudden halt made Shizune look at her quizzically._

 _Tsunade didn't even need to look back, as she knew already knew who it was. It shocked her that she had only just now. She must've been getting rusty. At that moment she made a promise to herself to revamp her own training, and heck, Shizune's too._

" _What do you want Hiruzen? I was just making my way out of this village. I don't want to spend any longer in here than I have to," she said callously._

 _In the next second the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the famed God of Shinobi himself, appeared behind Tsunade in a blur of speed. He wasn't alone though, as a group of elite Leaf Village Anbu also made themselves known as they created a circle around Tsunade and Shizune, leaving them no place to escape from. Tsunade gazed at their stoic animal masks, and looked a little longer at the one portrayed as a dog. His silver hair was oddly familiar, and with their only being one person in the entire village with that hair color, she easily deduced who it was._

" _Kakashi," she said with a nod of her head at the dog masked Anbu._

 _She didn't expect him to answer, as all Anbu were required to take their job as serious as possible. They were the elite of the elite, so of course they needed to be a group of stiffs. She did see him give her a barely noticeable nod of acknowledgement before she turned around to regard her old sensei._

" _What do you want sensei? As you can see I was already leaving," She said._

" _I came here to thank you for helping Naruto when I failed to be there in time. I saw how you literally saved his life, and I would want to give you my personal appreciation. He means as much to me as if he was of my own blood, and I would like to repay you," He told her._

 _He snapped his fingers, and an Anbu appeared with a briefcase that he presented it to her. Tsunade was suspicious of the briefcase, but had an idea of what exactly was in it. She unbuckled the latches that held the briefcase closed and almost choked at the amount of money that was in it. There was just so many bills. This would be enough to pay off some of the people she became indebted to. Just as she was going to reach in and finger the bills, the Anbu holding it snapped it shut, and stepped back._

 _Tsunade stopped her motion, and turned to look at her sensei curiously. There was always a price. Always the multiple layers, especially with her sensei. She learned from him that one had to look underneath the underneath if they wanted to survive in this cruel world._

" _What do you want sensei? You always told us to look underneath the underneath, so what is your agenda right now?" She asked in annoyed tone._

 _She wasn't in the mood for this shit, she just wanted to go to sleep, and with her sensei's interruption she would have to find a hotel in the village._

" _That sly bastard_ _," Tsunade thought as she realized just how her sensei manipulated the situation._

" _I can see you're in a bad mood Tsunade, so I'll make this short so you can find yourself a place to rest. Might I recommend the Golden Leaf Inn? If I remember correctly it was just a few block down from here and with your sudden influx of money, I do believe you can afford it," She suddenly wanted to smack the absolutely shit eating grin he had in his face off," Anyways, it has come to my attention that you have built up quite the amount of debt with various casinos, villages, and overall shady people Tsunade. You and I both know that The Hidden Leaf had more than enough money in its coffers to pay off your debt. I will get straight to the pint here Tsunade. I'm getting old, and the council is getting a lot ballsier in some of the things they're willing to do. I wish that the events of tonight will never happen again, so I'm asking you to take care of Naruto in my stead." He asked in an almost begging tone," All I am asking is for you to look after him until he becomes a genin and he can legally and physically take care of himself. After that you are free to go with all of the money I promised and you will never have to step foot in this village again." He offered._

 _Tsunade physically caught the pre-prepared no in her throat, as she went over the offer in her mind. It sounded almost too good to be true, and she felt as if he knew something she didn't, but the debt collectors were beginning to become more anxious, and she wasn't confident in her ability to run from them all for a prolonged amount of time. She sighed, as she seemed to be caught in her sensei's little trap, but if she was being honest, it seemed like a win-win to her._

 _She nodded her head in acceptance," You have a deal old man, but once he becomes a genin I am leaving this village without a second glance. Now, let me go to sleep." She demanded._

 _Hiruzen's old face cracked a small smile," Wonderful Tsunade. We will work out all the details in the morning, as I can see that your young charge looks about ready to keel over in exhaustion."_

 _Tsunade looked over to Shizune, and sure enough her eyes were flickering between open and closed rapidly, as she tried to stay awake._

" _Fine, but I don't have to like the kid. I will be checking up on his health in the morning, and after that I'll come speak with you in your office."_

 _With that Hiruzen nodded his head with a satisfied smile before he, and his Anbu, dissipated into blurs while leaving the briefcase on before Tsunade's feet._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

Naruto awoke this time rather calmly, and in a better state of mind then he was in before. He knew he was in the hospital, and safe and sound. He looked out of the window by his bed, and could see that it was around sometime in the afternoon. If he was to hazard a guess, he'd day around 1 o'clock. He sighed out of his nose at the empty feeling the room had, as his jiji wasn't there to greet him. What was up with him, he was just dropping the ball. Naruto would have some word with him once he got outta here. His head snapped up, as he heard his door creak open, and a nice looking lady with black hair walked in with a clipboard. He saw her head look up to him, and a smile appear on her face.

"Ah, I see that you're up. Now, how do you feel right now?" She asked as she pulled up a chair to sit beside him.

Naruto instinctively answered with a," Fine," as he didn't want to cooped up in here any longer. The day was almost over, and he couldn't be late to the daily training sessions he had with his only friends.

The women just hmm'd at his answer and scrutinized him with a look that made it seem as if she was able to see inside his body. After a few awkward seconds, for him, she let up on the look and had another smile on her face.

"Yup, you seem to be physically fine, as far as I can tell. I ran some diagnoses when you were sleep, and everything seems to be in working order. You do, though, seem to be slightly under weight and lacking in certain vitamins, but I can hazard a guess and say that you don't eat vegetables because you think they're disgusting?" She asked.

Naruto sheepishly nodded his head and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. She hit the nail on the head right there, but that wasn't the only reason he was underweight.

She chuckled," Don't worry. Just make sure to eat more vegetables, and other healthy choices and the problem will solve itself in a few years," a sly smile appeared on her face," You want to become a ninja don't you?"

Naruto rose at the question and his face lit up bright," You're right I do! I want to become a ninja more than anything else in the world! More importantly I want to become Hokage, and someday have jiji hand me that cool hat he always wears," Naruto stopped as he wondered how she knew that when he had never told her," Wait a minute lady," Naruto leaned in and actually got a good look at her face," You're not my usual nurse, not that I'm complaining. The other one was a real bitch."

Naruto heard the lady gasp at the foul language," Where did you learn that word? You are too young to be saying words like that."

Naruto just scratched his head in confusion, as he never was told that the word was bad or something.

"Eh, but why is it bad? I used it right, right? How can it be bad when I'm telling the truth? That nurse was a real bitch. I think her name was Yori, or something," Naruto murmured as he tried to remember.

Shizune was stunned speechless at the logic that just came out of this eight year olds mouth. He was right in all regards, but still.

"But still. Even if she was a…bitch some people are uncomfortable with words like that," She told him.

"Ohh okay nee-chan. I'll be sure to only use those words around people I'm sure won't have a problem with it," He said and flashed her a winning smile.

Looking at the smile she couldn't find it within herself to be mad at him. That's as good as she thought she was gonna get at least.

"Okay then," She smiled back at him," Now I am not your usual nurse, but from now on, I will be," cue comical fist pump from Naruto," But don't think I want to see you in the hospital all the time. You can call me Shizune, and I already know your name Naruto. Maelstrom is a nice name," she complimented.

Naruto smiled at the nice lady, Shizune he reminded himself, someone had finally gotten his name right on the first try," Aww thanks Shizune-nee-chan," Naruto had to stop as an absolutely monstrous growl echoed through the room.

Naruto laughed at Shizune as she jumped in her chair at the noise. She looked at him with red cheeks, as he laughed his heart out.

"What's so funny Naruto?" She asked sharply, and Naruto went stone cold and stopped laughing.

"Ehehe, nothing Shizune-nee-chan. That was just my stomach growling. I haven't eaten in a while, and I guess I'm kinda hungry," He finished with a weak chuckle.

Before Shizune could answer the door swung open once again, and both of their attentions were grabbed by who it was.

"Well you're gonna have to wait kid because I got some news for you," Tsunade told him rather plainly.

Naruto almost fell out of his bed, as he realized who that was.

"Wait, you're that angel that saved me last night!" He yelled in realization.

At his outburst Shizune began to chuckle into her hand, as Tsunade's brow twitched.

Naruto sat up on his knees with his hands put into prayer position," Oh holy messenger of Kami I would like to thank you for saving my life. Oh, and when you go back to heaven can you thank Kami-sama for creating ramen for me?"

Shizune was now openly laughing, and Tsunade's eyebrow twitch became even more erratic. She wasn't in the mood for this.

Naruto currently had his head bowed so he couldn't have possibly seen it coming before it was too late.

BOP

Tsunade's fist came down onto his skull with force that rattled his brain.

"Ahhh!" Naruto wailed as he held on to the smoking bmp he now had on his head," What was that for you old hag!?"

Tsunade quickly became enraged at the gall of this kid. She wasn't old, just finely aged.

"What did you call me brat!?" She yelled at him.

Naruto, being who he is, wasn't gonna take being yelled at without retaliating. So, despite the fact that Tsunade was an S-class ninja who could quite possibly surgically remove his heart from his chest while it was still beating, a fact he didn't yet know, didn't back down.

"You heard me ya old hag, or has your hearing started failing you in your old age?!" He screamed back at her as he in her face.

You had to give him points for the witty comeback.

"My hearing is just fine! I heard you crying like a baby after I hit you very clearly!" She yelled back as lightning began to spark across her brow at the unnatural levels her anger were reaching.

"What was that old lady!? You wanted me to raise your hearing aid!?"

"You brat! Your parents must've not taught you any respect!"

"Why would I respect an old bat like you!? And for your information I never knew my parents!"

"Oh, boo-hoo! You want to cry about it like the brat you are!? Your parents must've been something else to pop out someone like you!"

That was it! Naruto had it with this lady. He didn't care if she was an angel anymore. He was gonna kick her ass! No one insulted his parents, may they rest in peace, and got away with it.

"That's it lady!" Naruto raged at her.

Tsunade drew back from his red in anger face, and was curious as to what he would do next. Surely he wasn't stupid enough to challenge…

"I'm gonna kick your ass!"

…and she stood corrected.

Tsunade just waved his threat off like a nuisance, and that just served to enrage Naruto even more.

"You're about a thousand years too young to kick my ass brat, and for the record my name is Tsunade. Not old lady," she said in a completely calmer tone than what she was speaking in a second ago.

At the change of tone, Shizune poked her head into the room from the position she took, as she fled away from her master's wrath. She knew better than to stick around in close proximity when Tsunade got angry. People tended to get hurt, and buildings tended to become rubble when pitted against Tsunade's anger.

"I can count on one hand the amount of people I know of that can actually fight me on an even level, and you aren't even close to any of them," Tsunade continued.

"Oh, yeah? Well how about we find out?" Naruto challenged," Or are you chicken?"

Tsunade just scoffed at the weak attempt to pressure her into fighting him.

"Nice try brat, but I don't think you want to spend another day in the hospital, do you?" Tsunade asked smugly.

Naruto grimaced, as she had a point, but he promised himself that one day he would fight her, and he would kick her ass. He sat back onto the stiff bed with a huff, and crossed his arms. A question quickly flashed in his mind, and he capitalized on it before he lost it.

"What are you doing here anyway baa-chan," Naruto took pleasure in seeing the violent twitch come from her brow," I thought Shizune here was going to be my doctor from now on?" He asked.

Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed while rubbing her forehead in an attempt to ease the headache the brat caused. She had a feeling that she was going to be doing that a lot in the coming days.

As she opened her eyes back up she answered him," What Shizune didn't get to was that we both are, not only going to be your doctor's, but we're both going to be taking care of you from now on."

Naruto scrutinized what she had said and went over it in his head. He flipped the words around, to the left, to the right, backwards, and inside out, as he tried to reason as to why these semi-nice (Shizune was nice Tsunade…not so much) ladies would want to care for him. Or if they "wanted" to at all! Barely anyone was nice to him just because. It was always disapproval, anger, hate, or they just completely ignored him.

Tsunade looked on, and saw the circulating emotions on the boy's face.

" _He sure is open with his emotions," Tsunade tsk'd to herself," He's going to have to change that if he wants to be a passable ninja. True he's just a kid, but he's not gonna be one for long if he wants to survive to be a chunin,"_ Tsunade's thoughts were cut off as Naruto graced her with a response.

"Yeah, right baa-chan," Naruto said with a scoff.

Tsunade looked on curiously as Naruto went on to explain himself.

"No one is this nice to me unless they are from a foreign village, and even that doesn't last for long. So tell me the truth as to what you're doing here," He met her amber eyes with his sad deep blue ones," Honestly, I thought you people were different, or something. That you weren't like "them"," he spat out and threw his chin towards the window," So tell me, what's got you here in the first place? I'm a big boy. I can take it. You don't honestly expect me to believe your bull-shit claim of you wanting to "take care" of me." Tsunade saw the sad sarcastic smile on his face that made her heart thump painfully in his chest.

Naruto looked down at his hands and began to idly mess around with them, waiting out the uncomfortable silence his words caused. Since there was silence, he deduced, then he must've been right. They were both bull-shitting. Adults always went silent like this when he called them out, and he ended up being right. They just didn't expect for a child to be this smart, or clever. It was through a combination of wanting to not be lied to in every corner of his life, hanging with some pick pockets on occasion, and the need to survive that he was this smart. He had to be because no one else would.

Slowly the silence became too much and he broke it," See I was right, your silence tells the entire story," He said as he locked eyes with the shocked Tsunade," How stupid do you think I am? I don't need your fake "help"," he air quoted with his fingers with a scowl across his brow," I could bet you that the only reason you wanted to help me was because you were being paid, or someone was blackmailing you, or this was a bet or something that you wanted to win."

Naruto pulled the I.V. drip from his arm, and swung his legs off of the bed and onto the cold tile floor.

"I'm outta here," He said under his breath.

He walked out of the door unimpeded, and their lack of effort to stop him only assured him even more that they were lying to him. He slowly made his way out of the hospital, dragging his feet, with his head down, and his shoulders sagged, as he realized that this was going to be another lonely walk home. If he was being truthful with himself, he actually believed what she said at first, but experience made him hesitate in accepting her words. And, in the end, he was right and they turned out to be trying to manipulate him for their own gain. Well it sucks to be them. Naruto Uzumaki was nobody's tool and sooner or later the world was going to realize that.

They would either realize it on their own, or he would make them.

By the time he made it to his apartment it was night out, and the moon was high in the sky. Naruto had walked all the way there with his head down in a defeated manner. With his head down he didn't see the person standing by his door waiting impatiently with an irritated look on her face, with his head down he didn't see her face light up in feminine fury and anger, and with his head down he didn't see the punch coming straight for his skull with the entire force of an eight year old girl behind it.

*WHAM*

The punch connected with his head, and Naruto automatically held the affected area in an attempt to dull the pain. This was the second time damnit! What were the chances that he would get punched on the head twice in a day on the same spot!

"ITAI!" Naruto hollered in pain.

The punch sent him to the ground, where he rolled around comically in pain.

The girl who had punched him just waved off his pain rolls, and rolled her eyes. He was always so dramatic.

"Oh get up you big baby. I know you've been hit harder than that before. I would know, I dished out most of them," She said with a hand on her hip.

Naruto quickly got up, while still rubbing the bump on his head, and had a glum look on his face.

"Yeah I know, but you hit a tender spot. I was already hit there earlier today," He told his friend who surprisingly hit like a truck.

This surprised her, as no one ever hit Naruto. Well, let her rephrase that. No one hit Naruto, and walked away…at all. Only she had that privilege because she was his best friend, and training partner.

"What happened today?" She asked. Suddenly she remembered the reason she was at his front door in the first place," Matter a fact, where were you these past two days?"

She saw Naruto's frown turn down even further, she didn't even know one could frown like that, and could tell that she was going to be here all night.

Her eyes tuned tenderly, and she put a soft hand on her friends slightly shaking shoulder. He looked up, and she smiled her best cheering up smile back at him.

"Tell me everything," She said softly," I'm here to listen, and give you a warm hug if you need it."

She smiled wider, and cheered a little in her head, as a smile flashed on Naruto's face before it was gone. When she saw him nod she stepped back to let him open his door. It opened with a creak and the two stepped in. if one was to be within hearing distance, or in the building at all, they would hear a muffled voice talking until the tone grew into anger. They would hear a young man's screams of rage, and enough curse words to make a sailor blush all kinds of red. They would hear the screams of rage choke up, and make way for the heart breaking sobs.

They wouldn't see, though, the two eight year olds, crying together with only having each other for comfort until they fell asleep.

That's what Tsunade saw as she spied on him from the adjacent rooftop. She wasn't spying on him, or anything creepy like that. She was on her way to convince the brat that she wasn't a liar, okay despite the fact that being able to lie was in her job requirements, and that she was almost being 100% truthful in her offer. She came to the address Sarutobi told her, and what remained of her immediately, as she witnessed his breakdown.

She felt like a complete scumbag for trying to use a clearly distraught and lonely child for her own gains. Curse her bleeding heart, but she just couldn't take care of this boy knowing that she was only in it for the money. She resolved to somehow convince the kid, nor Naruto, that she was being genuine. No one, no child, should have to go to another child's arms for assurance or comfort. No child should live in such an environment as the Red Light District. No child should be given the hateful looks she noticed some people give him on his sad walk home.

"Well what are you gonna do now? Hmm, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade didn't jump at the sudden voice, as she had heard him appear on the rooftop beside her.

"I don't know Kakashi. He thinks I'm just like the villagers who hate him, and I don't know how I'm going to change his mind. If he's anything like his mother he's going to be as stubborn and hard headed as a bull," She told him

Kakashi just hmmd, as his silver hair flowed freely through the air.

"Oh he is. I've had the pleasure of monitoring him on the days I'm not on a mission, and the only person he fully trusts is that girl right there," he said.

He didn't need to point as Tsunade gazed at the girl as she slept. With her sharp eyes she could make out the dried tear marks on her cheeks, and the tousled buns on her head made out of her brown hair.

"If you want any chance of getting through to Naruto, you're going to have to get through her first. If you can get her to trust you and become her friend he's going to have no choice but to spend more time around you," He continued.

"And with all that time I can get on his good side, and convince him I'm not like those people that hate him for what he contains," She finished.

" _And during that time I can help him on his road to become a genin," She finished to herself in thought._

She just sighed as she completed the plan in her head, and she heard Kakashi jump off of the roof she currently occupied. She was taking a chance here with this plan, and it would either be a complete success, or it was going to blow up in her face. When it came to chance, things never went in her favor. She ended up losing more than she won, and she oddly felt that if she failed this boy, she would be failing all the people she lost throughout her life.

Her luck was notoriously terrible, but as she looked through the dingy window at the dried tears that marked themselves on Naruto's face, she felt that lady luck was finally in her corner.

* * *

Ayy yoo! Here it is, chapter 2, and I hope I didn't disappoint with it. I really hope this fic makes it big someday, and I'm going to try my hardest to make that happen. If you haven't go check out my other fic, G.W.O.T.N., and I promise you won't be disappointed with it. Imaginary cookie if you can guess who Naruto's best friend is (if you don't get it correct you I honestly have no help for you), and she is going to be right up there with Naruto as he faces every challenge. I honestly think she had so much potential as a character, and I'll be unleashing that potential right here. Now that's all I have to say, and shout out to the people who followed, favorite, and reviewed this fic, you guys are the real M.V.P's here. That's all for me here, so stay tuned for the next chapter. Soooo…I guess I'll see you guys later….oh, and if you have any suggestions for who you want as the third member of Naruto's team then I'm all ears. Oh and side note, all the kids are the same age, and will graduate at the same time. The graduation age is sixteen so that means Tsunade's gonna have a good four years to whip Naruto into shape before he gets into school. YAAAY! Anyways that is actually it for me down here, soooo…yeah, read and review if you would kindly.


	3. Chapter 3: What Really Happened

Yo, okay I know this has taken forever, but my other works are being rather difficult in their making. School is also a factor, and so is TV. What? Gotham is a great show, and don't get me started on Arrow and The Flash. Anyways, I'm just saying that my other fics do take priority over this one, so don't be surprised about the updates if they take forever. That is all I have to say, so remember to show your love with a review, follow, and favorite. Enjoy!

* * *

CH.3 What really happened?

Naruto awoke curled up on his couch alone. Which was weird because he swore Tenten fell asleep with his last night. It has happened a few times before, and Naruto was just tempted to give her a key to his room. He and she were the only ones in the building in the first place, because no one wanted to live close to him. On the bright side it made all of the extra rooms in the building available for renovations, and Tenten and he had plans to change the entire building once they became ninja and they got their own paychecks.

He stretched out his back and arms to get rid of the stiffness that came with sleeping on the couch, and, as he yawned, felt lighter somehow. Not in weight but in soul, or something like that. His emotional episode that he had last night seemed to be just what the doctor ordered, as he felt refreshed. He looked out of his window at the brightly shining sun, and promised to himself that, from this day forward, things were going to change. And it was going to start with his conversation he was going to have with Hokage-jiji.

Naruto quickly showered, changed, brushed his teeth, ate a good two bowls of cereal, and was out the door in about a half hour. He locked his door back, and was on his way to the Hokage's Tower walking at a brisk pace. He idly glanced at Tenten's door and wondered where she was. Then he remembered that she had gotten a job at a weapon's store as an apprentice blacksmith. With that matter settled in his head Naruto focused solely on heading towards the Hokage's Tower.

As usual Naruto felt and saw the barely discreet glares directed his way. Naruto held his head high as he walked past the people who glared at him. No more would he let what other people thought of him dictate his attitude. If they wanted to hate him, then he would let them. He only cared about what his precious people thought of him, and these villagers weren't anywhere close to it. He didn't hate them, no not at all, but there was a strong dislike that he reasoned would go away with time and maturity.

At least, that's what Hokage-jiji said.

With the fast pace Naruto set, he made it to the Hokage's Tower in under a half hour. He was ready to barge into his office, but stopped short as he saw the look in the receptionist's eye.

Unlike everyone else Hokage-jiji's receptionist didn't hate him. Well, that wasn't saying much since she seemed to not like anybody, but Naruto reasoned that had something to do with her being a retired ninja. Anyways for all the times Naruto visited he believed that he was one of the only people to crack her hard exterior, as she was at least a teeny tiny bit friendly with him whenever he came in there. Because of that Naruto became familiar with her enough to know when he shouldn't run into the Hokage's office guns-a-blazing

Now was one of those times.

With that steady, but fierce gaze set on him Naruto went over to sit down on one of the oddly comfortable chairs that were set out for people that needed to wait. It was quiet as he waited, with his feet swinging to and fro under the chair. The receptionist, Hisoka, never really was much of a talker, as her name suggested, and Naruto had to settle with watch her methodically pick up and stamp papers with either the 'yes; stamp or the 'no' stamp.

THUMP SWISH THUMP SWISH

Those two noises went on, to Naruto, for what seemed like forever, but in reality it was only like ten minutes. He was beginning to get antsy with all this sitting still stuff, and wondered what was taking the Hokage so long. He got his answer, as he heard the Hokage's door open and the sounds of descending footsteps coming his way.

"...re you sure it'll work Tsunade-sama?" Naruto heard.

As the two people came into view, a frown grew upon Naruto's face as he recognized where the two were from. Not wanting to acknowledge them in the slightest, Naruto turned his head downward and began to stare intently at the ground. The footsteps continued, and Naruto heard the answer to, he reasoned Shizune's, question.

"I'm honestly not sure Shizune, but I got to try. I'd feel like I was spitting on their graves if I didn't at least try to do something about it," She said.

"Is that the only reason you're doing this for Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked in return.

Naruto heard a long slow sigh come from Tsunade's mouth before she answered.

"No it's not. What I saw last night changed a lot. I don't know how to describe it, but I'm 100 percent sure it revolves around that kid. I want to help him, and I think that if I do, he'll somehow help me too," She finished with a misty look in her eyes as she remembered the sad sight she clued into last night

With his head down, Naruto began to think about just who they were talking about. He immediately dashed the idea of it being him, because, well, they were the ones to admit to not wanting to honestly help him in the first place.

 _Well, they really didn't 'say' anything, so now I'm not too sure._

As he looked back on it, he might've been a little too abrupt with his accusations and storming out of the room, but at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. They didn't even attempt to deny all of what he said, so it must've meant that what he was saying was true. But now, after hearing that tidbit, he wasn't too sure. Although he might be completely wrong with his assumption of him being the subject of what they were talking about, but the way Tsunade spoke was just too real to be a lie. And he was about the best lie detector short of a Yamanaka specialist.

He heard them walk out of the building, and once he was sure they were gone, he looked up. He got his mind off of them for the time being, as he had some words for the Hokage. He nodded towards Hisoka, and made his way up the stairs. He got to the door and knocked three times. He heard a muffled come in, and opened the door to be greeted with the sight of the old man sitting in his slightly reclined seat smoking his pipe. His nose wrinkled at the smell, as it wafted into his nostrils. Ugh, it wasn't one of the better smelling ones the old man usually smoked either. Naruto knew this one as the stress reliever, because the old man only ever smoked this particular one when he really feeling the pressure of his job.

Naruto felt a slight amount of sympathy towards him, and decided to immediately get into why he was here.

Before Sarutobi could even greet him, Naruto blurted out," Why do people hate me jiji?" He asked," And don't lie. After what happened I believe I deserve to know." He stated firmly.

Whatever greeting the Hokage had on his lips died, as he sat up a little straighter, and smoked some of his pipe. He put his elbows on top of his desk, put his pipe out, and interlaced his fingers in what Naruto labeled "Hokage Mode".

Sarutobi knew sooner or later Naruto was going to be up here looking for answers, but he couldn't have chosen a worse time. He had barely gotten out of stressful meeting full of utter bull-shit with his council, only to be hounded by Tsunade for information about the very boy who was standing with his arms crossed across his chest in front of him. His day was wrapping up to be a very stressful one, and with Naruto here, he didn't see it getting any better. He knew that there was no getting out of this, so he straightened up and became ready.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you got here with questions, and I hate that such an event pushed it to be revealed this early," An exhale out of his nose," I would've preferred to tell you once you became a genin, but things don't ever work out as planned."

Hiruzen gestured for Naruto to sit down, and after he took his seat, he began to recall what had happened that night.

"It was October 10th. We were all ill prepared for it, and it cost us dearly," He began as the images flashed through his mind," As you know you share your date of birth with another event that happened that night, and it is no coincidence Naruto," Hiruzen looked towards Naruto and could see the gears clanking their way through his head," On that night the Kyuubi attacked The Hidden Leaf Village, decimating our forces, utterly destroying our home, and killing the Fourth Hokage. I'm sure you know what happened since I told you this story several time at your behest." He smiled a little as he remembered the phase Naruto went through when he first heard of The Fourth Hokage.

Naruto himself sheepishly smiled before telling what he remembered from all the times he was told it," The Fourth appeared on the battlefield on top of the legendary Toad Summon and confronted the Kyuubi. In an epic battle that took his own life, The Fourth defeated the Kyuubi and saved the village in its entirety," Naruto said.

"Well that is not the whole story Naruto," Hiruzen revealed to Naruto's shock.

The look of shock was visible on Naruto's face. The story, not a story, but THE story, was a lie? It was fake? Did the old man not know just how much he was affected by it? It was one of the reasons he wanted to become a ninja dammit!

"What actually happened then Old Man?" Naruto asked in a forced calm tone.

He wasn't able to inhibit all of the anger from leaking into his voice, and Hiruzen noticed it. He wasn't surprised by it, but was actually proud that Naruto was able to actually listen before acting on his emotions.

"Several things happened that night, and I cannot tell you all of it," He saw the look of incredulity on Naruto's face and quickly explained himself," You are still technically a civilian Naruto. There are S+ ranked secrets that are involved with that day, and I cannot retell all of what happened on that night to you," at this Naruto's incoming anger deflated," As I was saying, everything happened just as I told you it did, but The Forth Hokage did not actually defeat the Kyuubi in the way that you think."

At this Naruto was confused. What did he mean by that?

"Well he had to Old Man. The Kyuubi has not been seen since that night. If The Forth didn't actually kill it, then what did he do?"

"He sealed it," Naruto felt his throat go dry at the look he was given, and he almost didn't want to ask where. He didn't need to though, as his unasked question was answered immediately.

"He sealed it into you Naruto."

Naruto had no words. What was there to say? Was he supposed to scream and cry about how unfair it was? Was he supposed to yell about how awful it was that he was the one thrown to the proverbial lions? Was he supposed to scream and kick while cursing The Forth Hokage for his actions? Oh, he wanted to, and he would in a more…fitting place (those poor training grounds), but right now he wanted to know only one thing.

"Why?" He asked in a stoic tone.

Hiruzen looked at Naruto with a wary eye at the neutral response. He expected a severe showing of emotion and at least a part of his office to be destroyed. Maybe a broken door, but this stoic controlled response was unexpected. That's why it took him a moment to answer the question.

"Well to begin with, the Kyuubi is not something one can kill. It is a being made of pure chakra. The Yondaime's only option he had if he wanted to save the village and everyone in it was to seal that chakra away into a vessel. He couldn't seal it away into something like a pot or a scroll because the Kyuubi's chakra was too volatile for a static object to handle. It would break out within a few months. To lock away such powerful chakra, you needed something more permanent. Something with a consciousness that would be able to combat the Kyuubi's dark influence and hold it at bay," He told him.

By now Naruto began to realize just why it was sealed within in him, but he still wondered as to why he was chosen out of all kids.

"The reason he sealed it into a new born baby was because, as the child grew up, so did his or hers resistance to the Kyuubi's chakra. Any other person would be killed if they came in contact with the chakra of the Kyuubi since it has an acidic property to it, but, since the child had it in his or her body since the beginning of their life, their body would not be affected by it on the scale others would. Another thing you need to know is that there has been only two other containers of the Kyuubi since its existence. I won't tell you about them, but I will say you all have something in common," after he said this Hiruzen started his next sentence in a softer tone," I can't tell you why he chose you out of all people in the world Naruto. Maybe it was because you were an orphan that just happened to be born on the wrong day. Maybe he believed that you had something that others didn't have Naruto. Maybe the Yondaime believed in you," Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and lit his pipe once more," The way I see it Naruto, The Yondaime entrusted you with the protection of this entire village by sealing the Kyuubi within you. And I personally don't think he could've picked a finer candidate."

Naruto saw the fond smile on the Old Man's face, and his eyes became a little bleary at the compliment he was given. He chuckled as he wiped them a bit, and smiled his signature bright and flashing smile.

He wasn't crying. It was all that smoke that came from the Old Man's pipe.

"You sure have a way with words jiji," He told him.

"It comes with being Hokage and old age Naruto," Sarutobi told him around his pipe. He took it out of his mouth for a moment to address Naruto without a distraction in the way," Did I answer your question Naruto?"

"Yeah, you did. I kind of understand the why now, but that doesn't mean that I completely accept it," He said with a smile on his face.

"I didn't expect you to. I can't begin to understand what your life has been up until this point Naruto, and I apologize for keeping you in the dark for as long as I have. But what truly happened that night was a S ranked secret that I do not know even how it was revealed to the populous," Naruto swore he heard a mumbled "Danzo" under his breath but thought he was imagining things.

Seeing as he had no more questions for the Old Man Naruto said good bye to him, and was on his way out the door. He paused when his hand grasped the door knob, and turned to the Sandaime with his a question on his lips.

"Yes, you can tell the people you trust about this Naruto, but I must warn you about who you exactly tell. Some people may not have such a positive reaction to being told."

Naruto deflated at this. The only person he trusted was Tenten and he didn't know what he would do if she rejected him. He needed to think about it. He bid the Sandaime a wordless farewell, and was out the door deep in thought. He knew that there was no secrets between the two of them. They made that promise years ago, and Naruto had no intentions of breaking it, but he didn't know how to go about it. It didn't help that Tenten's own parents were killed in the Kyuubi attack also. That was how they met in the first place.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _It was a grey, ugly day. The weather was humid and rain was coming down in an unending wave. The citizens of the village stayed inside their houses protected from the harsh elements, so the streets were barren with the exception of the odd person or two who decided to brave such harsh, unusual weather. There were the odd ninja or team that blurred across the rooftops either returning from or going on a mission too, and their light padding on the roofs jostled the water that had accumulated there._

 _It was a bad day for Naruto, and he just needed to get away from everything. He was hungry, cold, and the worst of all…alone. Tears threatened to form in the corners of his blue eyes as he thought of the hollow feeling inside of his heart made itself known again. Today was his birthday, but to him it was just another day to spend alone. On the bright side, there were no villagers brave or stupid enough to try and chase him in this kind of weather._

 _He didn't know where he was going either. His feet just moved while he thought about his current situation. He was turning seven today, so that means he was getting closer to being able to join the Academy. That thought was what woke him up in the morning, and allowed him to sleep peacefully at night. To know that one day he was going to become great. That he was going to learn and become strong. He was going to become so strong that people had no choice but to notice his awesomeness._

 _That was his dream, and no one was going to take it from him._

 _Naruto was stirred out of his thoughts as he heard a familiar noise reach his sensitive ears._

 _Someone was crying._

 _Curiosity peaked, Naruto ventured further into the trees and brush. As he got closer he came upon a clearing of flat grass with an angular stone sitting in the middle of the field. He didn't get the chance to look at the stone more, as his attention was taken to the girl crying on her knees at the head of the stone._

 _From where he was standing he could see that the girl was wearing a dark blue rain coat that covered her entire form from the pelting rain that was falling down. The coat, though, did nothing to hide the shaking of her shoulders. Naruto looked at the girl somberly as her shoulders shook with deep sobs._

 _With his thoughts made up, Naruto stepped towards the girl and into the pouring rain. His steps splashed in the wet grass, and caused the girl to swing her head in his direction. Their eyes connected, ones being a deep blue and the other being a chocolate brown, and Naruto froze. The girl's eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks had a tint of red to them showed irritation. Her front bangs were frazzled and drooped down her forehead and onto her face like a wet curtain. Her lips were set in a sad frown, as tears continued to dribble down her tan, round cheeks._

 _Naruto's breath was taken away. He had never really looked at girls in 'that' type of way since they never really wanted to be around him, but there was that one girl with the nice looking pink hair and the other girl with hair kind of like his, but they were nothing compared to the crying angel that sit before him. It was like comparing vegetable to a thing of ramen, yeah not the best comparison, but you get the idea._

 _Naruto's wide eyed stare seemed to be the only thing he could really do until the girl spoke in a cracked voice," Wh-what are you doing here?" She asked him._

 _At the question Naruto berated himself internally for getting stuck on stupid for so long and idly wondered when such thoughts entered his mind about girls. He shook his senses clear eternally and not externally, as he did not want to look like some loon who spoke to himself, and answered the girl," I, uh heard someone crying while I was walking nearby and wanted to find out what was wrong," He said in a rather subdued tone and laughed awkwardly with a weak smile on his face._

 _The girl sniffled deeply and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands," W-well nothing's wrong, so you can go back home to your parents," She said and Naruto could hear the slight anger in her tone when she said the word parents. She turned around and went back to staring at the stone_

 _Naruto's own eyes lowered to the floor at the comment and the smile dropped off of his face," I, uh, am an orphan. I don't have any parents," He told her while still looking at the wet grass," I never knew them. Hokage-jiji says they died when I was born, so I never got the chance to meet them."_

 _After he said that, there was silence. He couldn't see the girl's wince at her own insensitivity. She knew that there had been a sudden influx of orphans, her being one of them, after that horrible day. The chances of this kid being one was high, and her own feelings clouded her assessment. She berated herself, as her parents, bless them, had taught her better than that._

 _She looked at his sad form, shoulders sagged and head bowed, and asked him," What day were you born?"_

 _She watched his head swing upwards, and looked into those deep blue eyes he had. She idly wondered why they were so…dull. Her thoughts did not go any farther, as the kid spoke._

" _I was born on October 10_ _th_ _," He answered back and bitterly continued with," Ya know, the day of the Kyuubi attack." He knew that the reason people hated him had something to do with his birthday being the same day as the Kyuubi attack, but that just had to be coincidence…right?_

 _The girl heard him and took the information silently. She had heard the same story several times before, but his was odd considering he was born on the day. She couldn't imagine what it must feel like to never know your parents. She at least had a few memories of her parents. Their warmth, tenderness, and kind smile they seemed to always have on their face whenever they gazed at her. She was the light in their life, as her mother used to say to her when she used to tuck her into bed. She loved her parents with all of her heart and more._

 _That's why it felt like there was a hole in her chest when she realized her parents weren't coming back. She cut off the memory of that day with a savage stomp. It was still too raw, too much for her to deal with. Her thoughts wondered back to the kid who had never even met his parents, who had never felt that warmth, or that happiness that came with having a mom and dad._

 _She didn't know what it was, maybe a combination of those striking blue eyes that were laced with the same sadness she had seen reflected in her own brown eyes, but she felt…something from him. He had this air about him that Tenten couldn't put her finger on, but it made him seem easy to talk to._

 _So that's what she did._

" _My parents are dead too," She told him quietly and almost laughed at the wide eyed look she was given. She cracked a small smile at his expression before letting it fall from her face._

 _Naruto saw her smile and felt it was a sign that she at least didn't want him away from her, so he got a little closer to her. She looked at him inquisitively, but didn't say anything against him coming closer. So, Naruto continued until he was over her shoulder, and could see that the stone was black, but was shaped very oddly._

 _She must've seen his stare on the rock as she spoke up," This is a monument to the Shinobi who lost their lives doing their job for the village. My dad brought me here one time and explained it all to me," she gave a small, weak chuckle as the memory flashed across her mind's eye," said that they should've put it somewhere other than a deserted grounds that barely anyone ever came to," She repeated from memory._

 _Naruto believed that her father had a point there too. He hadn't heard of such a monument to the dead before, let alone where it was. The only monument he knew of was the Hokage Mountain with the face carving on, which by the way were totally awesome._

 _He nodded his head and stayed silent as the girl continued," After they…died… I came here every chance I could. Just so I could sit with them some more," her voice started to deteriorate and crack as she tried to continue," and, and talk with them. To tell them about how my day went like I-I used to," She managed the last bit out before she began to sob._

 _With Naruto being as close as he was, he could see the tears that ran down her face and mixed themselves with the rain water on the ground. Her hands were at her face, as she allowed her heartache and grief to show._

 _Naruto felt his heart break for the girl who had lost her parents. He didn't know what the feeling was like, but he felt he could come close enough to it. That was enough motivation for him to wrap his arms around the girl in an awkward one-armed hug._

 _He crouched down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and hugged her. Out of the possible reactions he expected for her to have, the one she gave was the least expected._

 _She flung herself into his chest, knocking him down onto his butt, and latched onto the collar of his jacket. She began to cry even harder, shaking her head from side to side, asking why, why, why over and over._

 _But Naruto didn't have an answer for her._

 _All he could do was slowly wrap his arms around her shaking form, mumbling," It's going to be okay," like his Jiji did when he used to cry. So he sat there. With the girl whose name he still didn't know crying into his chest, her lithe form shaking and shivering. Naruto ran his hand up and down her back in a comforting manner. He wished he could do more for her. Tears filled the corners of his own eyes in response to the abundant amount of sorrow that flowed through the air. One ran down his face, but was lost in the rain that was falling._

 _For the longest time all that filled his ears was the rain and the heart wrenching sobs of the girl he held in arms. Time was irrelevant as the only thing on his mind was trying to provide as much comfort he could to this girl who had lost her parents. So, he let cry into his chest. He let her cry and cry and cry until the rain stopped, the clouds moved on along, and her sobs turned into light sniffles._

 _They sat there in such a deep silence, Naruto could hear his own heart thump within his chest._

" _Thank you."_

 _The words were spoken softly and were muffled. Naruto looked down at the girl and was met with those deep chocolate brown eyes. They gazed at him through long eyelashes with a grateful look. He could see the sadness that they were once drowning wasn't there in the amount it once was. So lost was he in her eyes that he almost forgot she had thanked him._

" _Thank you for letting me just cry and stuff into your chest," She told him with an embarrassed blush, but didn't look away. Her parents had taught her to look people in the eyes when talking to them, so that's what she did," I don't know how long I have been holding that in for, so thank you again," She said honestly._

 _Naruto was at a loss for words. He was unused to being thanked for anything he did. Usually he was yelled at or just downright ignored. To actually be thanked was…nice._

 _He felt the girl shift and get up from the ground and Naruto decided to do the same. A smile graced his face as he stood up," It's no problem really. I was just doing what my jiji did for me when I used to cry."_

 _Naruto heard the girl giggle a bit and face him," Well it's still very sweet of you, so now I owe you one."_

 _Naruto perked up at this as he instantly knew what he wanted," Well instead of you owing me one, why don't I just get your name?" He asked innocently._

 _He wondered idly why she blushed after he asked her, but pushed it to the back of his mind. His jiji always told him that women were weird and to never try and solve the puzzle that they were._

 _The girl looked at him with a dazzling smile that made butterflies form in his stomach and answered," My name is Tenten Higurashi," and held out her hand for him to shake._

 _Naruto gripped the hand immediately in a firm grip and shook it," I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I plan to become the strongest ninja in the entire world, dattebayo!" He immediately slapped his hands over his mouth and went dead quiet._

 _Tenten looked at him with an amused look and a smile, which was struggling to stay a smile and not full out laughter, and asked," Dattebayo?"_

 _Naruto nodded, and the girl's will power broke and the dam of laughter went with it._

 _As she laughed Naruto crossed his arms and stewed in a mixture of embarrassment and anger at himself._

" _It's not that funny," He mumbled and Tenten seemed to have heard him, as she began to laugh even harder._

 _Flashback End_

* * *

From then on the two became inseparable. With Naruto having his own apartment, and usually nothing to do, he spent all of that free time with Tenten. As a result, the two became even closer to each other. She was his first and best friend ever.

And that was what made telling her his secret even harder.

That's why when he made it to his own apartment, thinking about how he was going to break the news to her, he didn't see her there sitting on his couch when he walked in. He turned around from closing his door and jumped, hitting his back against the door.

"Tenten, what are you doing in here?" He asked after he got his breathing under control," And don't do that again," he added.

Tenten looked at him strangely. She knew something was up with him, she could tell. It was like this seventh sense she developed when it came to him. She knew all his moods and mannerisms well enough to know when something was bothering him. She got up from her spot on the couch and stalked over to him, eyes set in a calculative gaze. She looked for the signs.

 _Shaking hands, check. Avoiding my eyes, check. Small bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face, check. Breathing out of his nose instead of his mouth, check._ She got into his face and saw him shirk back against the door. _He's hiding something from me_. Her mouth turned into a frown.

"What are you hiding from me Naruto? You remember we promised no secrets," She said.

She saw the nervous air literally deflate out of his body and replace itself with despair. She was taken aback by the sudden shift and it showed on her face. What was once anger now turned to worry. What had happened?

"Naruto, what's wrong?" She asked tentatively.

As he looked into her eyes, she could see the unshed tears in them and her worry increased. What was wrong with her best friend? What had happened? Who-

"Tenten," His cracked voice grabbed her attention and she looked at him anxiously. He took a deep breath and said," I'm the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi."

Her breath hitched in her throat and it became hard to breath. Her heart stopped beating for a moment, as he mind processed the words.

"What?"


End file.
